All Things Nice . . .

 

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Mary had a little lamb

whose fleece was white as snow.

And everywhere that Mary went

the lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day

which was against the rules.

It made the children laugh and play

to see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out

but still it lingered near.

And waited patiently about

Til Mary did appear.

Why does the lamb love Mary so?

The eager children cry.

Why Mary loves the lamb you know

The Teacher did reply.

~Sara Josepha Hale 

The story of Mary Had a Little Lamb originates from a true story. It happened to a 14 year old girl whose name was Mary Sawyer who, encouraged by her brother, is taking her lamb with her to school. Of course she couldn’t keep her pet unnoticed and the lamb was soon everybody’s distraction, becoming famous for this. 

 The lyrics of “Mary had a Little Lamb” were the first words in the history captured by a phonograph. Thomas Edison recorded his own voice reciting the rhyme, around the year 1877.

It was one of the very first poems I memorized as a child. It was a favorite back then and it is a favorite now!

 

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It was in my maternal Grandmother's school reader which is something she gifted me with when I was very small.  She was born in 1897 so you know that it is a very old book. I keep it in my top dresser drawer and it is one of the few treasures of my life that I have been able to keep. Its pages are very fragile and so I don't touch it very often. Many of the pages have broken and tattered edges and there is no cover to it any longer.  As a child I loved it to death and as an adult I love it still.

I am probably the only grandchild that has anything that personal which belonged to our grandmother.  It is priceless.  Have you ever wondered what you have that might be worth handing down to your grandchildren? I think about it a lot.  Mine are mostly boys,  with only one girl in the bunch. I have 8 altogether.  3 of them I have no contact with so I don't really know what their interests are. I live in hope! 

 

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The cats have been watching blue jays on my front deck this morning. I had put some peanuts out yesterday hoping to see if the chipmunk was going to show up. He didn't and they were still there when I went to bed last night.  This morning the jays have discovered them and made short work of them.  The cats really enjoyed the sight of them swooping down to pick them up. Jays make a lovely loud noise and they were quite enthralled with tails twitching as they watched.  They are still watching to see if they return, but that's not likely now that the peanuts are all gone.

I can remember many years ago feeding the jays in the back of my house here in Nova Scotia in what was known as the new PMQ's.  They are no longer there.  We had one which backed onto the woods.  I would make a peanut butter sandwich every morning and break it into pieces, laying it across our back fence.   I loved to watch the jays come down and get the pieces.  If they came before I had put them out they would squawk at the house until I did.

Have you ever seen a Grey Jay?  They are quite beautiful in a different sort of way. 

Do you ever wish that you had the capacity to sleep and nap like a cat?  Mine seem to fall asleep at the drop of a hat and splay themselves out, in total trust, oblivious to the world around them.  Nutmeg snores.  I love to listen to the little noises he makes as he is sleeping.  Sometimes he makes sucking noises as if he were still a kitten feeding at his mother's breast.  Its so sweet.  Oh how I love these wonderful little creatures of mine.  They are non-stop entertainment for me.

 

My sister came over the other day to help me cut their nails. I struggle to do that. I am not overly confident when it comes to things like that, afraid that I might hurt them.  So she is very kind and helps me out.  Nutmeg doesn't mind too much. Cinnamon is another matter. She is very independent and only wants to be held when she want's to be held so it does sometimes take two of us to do her, and even then we may not get her done.  My sister did get her done the other day however and without me holding her, although Cinnamon did not like it.  Eventually she will get used to it.

While Cindy was here Nutmeg had used his box and we both noticed this smell, and then my sister looked over and Nutmeg was dragging his bottom over the carpet like a dog.  He had had a movement and one apparently was dangling and so he was trying to drag it off, but all he did was grind it in.  And he is a very furry fluffy cat.  A bath was needed.

That DID take two of us and was quite an ordeal as he is not a very small cat. It was not an easy task.  He was quite annoyed with us, but we got the job done in the end.  Whatever would I do without my Cindy.  She is such a help to me in so many ways.  I wish I could do more for her.

Everyone needs a Cindy in their lives.

 

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It is fun seeing what is coming up in everyone's garden.  Not much coming up in mine yet.  I actually need to hire a gardener to come and do some work. I am waiting to see how much taxes I owe from last year.  I don't think it will be long now before I do. I got an e-mail from my tax guy yesterday asking me for information so he must be working on it.  I am hoping it is not too outrageous.

 

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As a child I loved to watch the Andy Griffith show. I still do. They are playing reruns on one of my television channels at the moment. I wanted to live in a town just like Mayberry and I wanted a home like the Taylors, and I wanted to be Aunt Bea when I grew up.

I guess we did not really have a truly happy childhood in some ways. My parents were not happily married for the most part. My father longed to be free and my mother was understandably pre-occupied with keeping him tied.  He always had one foot out the door in many ways. That made for a bit of insecurity I suppose, which made the life of the Taylors even more desirable.

I never did get Mayberry, or a Mayberry existence.  I doubt that anyone did. It was only a fantasy after all.

 

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I am meeting with my father and his harem for breakfast this morning. I reckon there are not going to be as many people there when the place first opens up as there are at supper time midweek. I was thinking I might like to have pancakes, but I will need to bring my own sugar free syrup with me. Or I might have the eggs. My father was really looking forward to me being there so I had better get my skates on and get dressed and ready to go!  I do like spending time like this with my dad.  Love him so much and I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to spend times like this with him now. I never thought it would be.  I wish I had been able to do the same with mom, but  . . . 

Anyways, I will leave you with a thought for the day . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.But Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton tail

had  bread and milk and blackberries

for supper.  The End.  •。★★ 。* 。 

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Mary Berry's Hot Cross Buns. They are simple to make and taste amazing!  With a lovely light texture and plenty of fruit.  I highly approve!

Have a wonderful Saturday!  May it be filled with love and light.  Be happy and don't forget! 

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And I do too!